Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

handhold

/hˈændhˌoʊld/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.86 in modern English

Syllables: hand-hold
IPA: /hˈændhˌoʊld/

16

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A projection that one may hold onto for support, e.g. in mountain climbing.

noun

An act of holding hands.

noun

The manner in which dancers hold each other's hands during a dance.

verb

Alternative form of hand-hold.

Example Sentences

"An on-board cleaner passes through, disinfecting every grabrail and handhold as they pass."
"Miley [Cyrus] and Maxx [Morando] are photographed together at a Gucci event, and this hand-hold makes it pretty clear they're a couple: [an image of Miley Cyrus and Maxx Morando holding hands]"

Etymology

From hand + hold.

Inflected Forms

handholds (plural) handholds (present, singular) handholding (participle, present) handheld (participle, past) handheld (past)

Derived Forms

handholdless

Frequently Paired Words

foothold balustrade banister handrail railing

Questions

How do you pronounce handhold?: The recorded pronunciation is /hˈændhˌoʊld/.
What does handhold mean?: A projection that one may hold onto for support, e.g. in mountain climbing.
Where does handhold come from?: From hand + hold.

How to pronounce handhold

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “handhold”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/hˈændhˌoʊld/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “handhold”.
Repeat and practice — Say “handhold” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.